This blue-toned, straightforward visit with a mellow Tony Bennett is a grown-up rock video complement to the CD, with a small, cabaret-style intimacy that gives the illusion that Tony's in the living room, singing only to ... more &raquous. The casual, languid Bennett style is omnipresent as Bennett croons and skats his way through some of the greats, including "Body and Soul," "A Foggy Day," and of course that old standby, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." Old and new styles collide in the second half when Bennett introduces his guest k.d. lang, whom he adds to his list of personal bests Billie Holliday, Edith Piaf, and Andy Williams. They duet on an undistinguished version of "Moonglow" that makes us wonder if Tony might not be mistaking lang for someone else. Fortunately Elvis Costello arrives to kick things into a higher gear and as the lights dim red, Costello and Bennett heat up the track with a nice, spirited rendering of "They Can't Take That Away from Me." Bennett then encores with "Autumn Leaves/Indian Summer" and dedicates the whole ball of wax to Duke Ellington. It's a smooth, practiced affair that has little sense of spontaneity, though Bennett tries hard to imbue it with his trademark throwaway ease. Of course, it helps immeasurably if you watch this entertaining DVD in full surround stereo. --Paula Nechak&laquo less

Movie Reviews

Excellent sound, performance and recording of Tony Bennett

Morris Zwerman | Portland, OR USA | 02/09/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Tony Bennett has performed in every major city in every important country around the world, but there hasn't been a live documentation of his unique abilities until MTV:unplugged recorded him in 1994. I have the videotape and the laser disc of this same concert and they do not compare to the DVD! The seperation ,frequency response and front-to- back imaging are in a class by themselves; not to mention the performances from his 'sidemen' which are SOTA! But it is Tony Bennett who at his prime chose to do a concert that is in a class by itself. You owe it to yourselves if you think of yourself as a Tony Bennett fan already or you've had thoughts about getting into the 'standards' and who sings them best. Tony Bennett often refers to Frank Sinatra as the king of the balladeers, but he is being respectful to a national legend; when it is he who has got the musicians, recording engineers, MTV together to combine forces in a once-in-a-lifetime chance at performing. Some people have said that his small inclusion of K.D. Lang & Elvis Costello was a form of selling out, but I say it's to let the "MTV crowd" know that his music cuts across all generations and will continue to grow in attecptance with young people. What are you waiting for? This is the BEST jazz recording you will ever own! . . . Morris Zwerman"

What a pleasure!

Susan Antonio | Maui, HI USA | 03/25/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My husband and I are Tony Bennett fans and really enjoy his music. ... What a pleasure it was to watch and listen to Mr. Bennett do his thing! He is a true professional. Yes, his voice has changed over the years but all true fans are quite aware of that. But to have seen and heard him perform was unbelievable. To think, after all these years, Mr. Bennet is as smooth as ever, maybe even more so. And man, can he crank it!"

For All Music Lovers

Marcos Drpic | Punta Arenas, XII Región, Chile | 04/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I always show this video to my friends that are not very sure about what jazz music is about. This video is really fantastic I'll never get tired of seeing it. If you like jazz, buy it. And if you don't, buy it and you'll be a jazz fan forever!"